Searching

Chapter 2: Meeting someone new

Aria's POV

The woods were cold at night. I tried to rub away the goose bumps on my arms. The black dress I was wearing was thin. The lace was gone from the twigs that kept rubbing and scraping against my legs. I looked up from the ground. There were trees and more trees. I looked up at the starry sky and sat down on the ground and hugged my knees to my chest. My hair was a ragged mess now. It fell in my eyes when I looked back the ground.

My legs ached from running and walking afterwards. It was cold and I missed when my dad would hug me tight in cold weather. I remembered his welcoming eyes and his crooked teeth that showed when he smiled. With that thought I laid down on the leafy ground. I didn't want to sleep. I wanted to go home. I didn't know what time it was. But against my will my eyes fluttered shut and my dreams consumed me.

Once I was asleep there was a familiar sound. My sisters voice echoed around me. It came from all directions. I hadn't heard it in forever that I almost yearned for the sound.

I turned and turned trying to find the source of the noise. I couldn't make out what she was saying. Finally it stopped, and I took in my surroundings finally noticing them. I was in a room. The walls were concrete and there was no light in the room. There were voices outside the door.

It sounded like two people. I could hear a gruff voice and a strict one. Both were male. The door started to open and by instinct I pushed my back up against the cold wall. Light streamed into the room, showing me what it really looked like.

It was maybe 10 feet by 10 feet wide. The ceiling was low to the ground. The voices were loud and i could make out some words.

"Wrong girl...how....fix it." and with that the strict voice was gone.

The gruffer voice was grumbling about something as he threw something heavy into the room. It made a thump when it hit the ground. As soon as the door closed I crawled over to the sack full of something. It looked like a person small and fragile.

I knelt down to examine whatever it was. I rolled over the person and looked at the face. It was a girl with super blond hair. She looked like she had not been fed nearly enough. The face looked familiar in a way. Then reality hit me. It was Kiara. I quickly checked her pulse.

She was alive. I bent down to hug her and the room started to fade.

"No no no no." I muttered.

"NO! Kiara where are you!"I yelled again. I sat up abruptly, gasping for air. I looked around. I was still in the forest. The sun was barely up. I stood up, taking a breath, and yawned. I felt better for some reason. Apparently sleeping in the woods could calm your nerves. Now that the sun was up I could see the tips of the castle. Now that I knew where I was going I set off towards the palace. Towards my problems.

As I walked into the backwoods of the palace. My dad was in the dining hall. The long table stretched. Holding at least a hundred or so people. His eyes were tired. I knew he had stayed up all night. I decided to talk to him instead of sneaking to my room like I planed. As I walked forward my dad looked up to see me standing there. Covered in leaves and sap, messy hair and everything. His eyes lit up when he saw me. He stood up abruptly and ran to give me a bear hug.

"I can't lose you too, Aria." He whispers in my ear.

" I'm sorry dad." I said. He pulled away from the embrace and looked into my eyes.

" Your strong, princess. You can beat this world. You just have to believe." I stared into his eyes. He was crying. I rubbed my thumb against his check wiping away the wetness.

I had just then realized how much I worried him. I couldn't do this again. But I had too. I had to find Kiara. I had to find her and save her.